O Brother, Where Art Thou?
by deepfathom
Summary: Donita's harebrained plans for a Christmas fashion show land our heroes in a world of trouble. Trouble including a Kratt-napping, experimental mind control, and several species of antlered animals.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Donita sipped up the last few drops of her drink and leaned back into her luxurious new sofa.

"Daaabio," she called, "I need a refill."

Dabio poked his chunky blonde head out from around the contraption he was attempting to repair. "Uhhh…sure, but you told me not to move until—"

The fashionista sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "Yes, yes, but you can stop long enough to get me another drink. Planning an entire Christmas fashion show to the nines has left me incredibly parched."

Dabio scratched his head. "Christmas? But it's not even September yet…"

"Precisely." Donita tapped the end of her pen on the sketchpad she was holding and sat up. "We've got to stay ahead of the game, Dabio. Christmas may still be a few months away, but as far as this winter's fashion is concerned, it's practically Christmas Eve. Now, get me my drink."

Her henchman didn't move a muscle. Apparently, this concept had derailed his train of thought and it wasn't about to leave the station any time soon.

Donita clapped her hands impatiently. "Well? Go on."

"Oh yeah."

He bounded off and Donita turned her full attention back to the sketchpad.

"Now, to plan the finishing touches of my show. I need something fabulous. Something that absolutely _drips _with Christmas spirit." She held the end of the pen up to her chin, thinking.

Just then, Dabio leapt back into the room, all signs of confusion replaced with his usual cheesy grin.

"Here ya go, Donita!"

"Wonderful, wonderful," she muttered, taking the glass. "I've got all the outfits and accessories lined up, and the time and place, but I need the icing on the cake. Something to bring it all together into one big holiday extravaganza. Dabio?"

"Huh?"

"What comes to mind when you think of Christmas?"

"Uh…Santa?"

"That's a given. What else?"

"Uh…presents?"

"I've got that too."

"Lights?"

"Yes, yes, there will be plenty of lights…"

Dabio's eyes widened. "Ooh! I know, I know! Reindeer!"

Donita looked up and gasped, the sketchpad and pen flying out of her hands. "That's it! It's brilliant!" She stood and grasped her sidekick's shoulders. "And I know just what I'll do. We'll need eight of them, one to represent each of Santa's famous reindeer. I'll freeze them, wrap them up in lights, and line the runway with them. Oh, I can see it now and it'll be fantastic! It'll be unlike any other show in the entire _world_!"

"Uh…where do we get—"

Donita placed a finger on his lips. "Ah-ah! Not a word more. I have no idea where to get eight reindeer, but I _do_ know two charming young gentlemen who might be able to help us with this dilemma," she paused, lips curling into a devilish grin, "whether they like it or not."


	2. Downhill

**Chapter 1**

**Downhill**

"…Compass?"

"Check."

"Binoculars?"

"Check."

"Water?"

"Check."

"First-aid kit, batteries, headlamps?"

"Check, check, check," Martin sighed, leaning back against the Tortuga's main computer control panel. "Chris, this is the third time we've been over the packing list for today's wildlife mapping trip. I'm pretty sure we've got everything."

Chris opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, the side doors slid apart and Aviva trotted in.

"Not so fast." She held out a hand. "Creature pods. You two aren't going anywhere without these."

Chris grinned at his brother as Aviva handed them over. "See? I knew we were forgetting something."

"Alright, alright." Martin grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulders. "But I'm ready to get out there and start mapping! Let's go! Woo-hoo!" He did an impressive about-face and was through the doors in two seconds flat.

Chris and Aviva exchanged a glance.

"You'd better catch up before he gets into trouble," she said.

Chris failed miserably at hiding a smile. "Right. You guys hang out here and we'll send the mapping data as we go. We should be back before dark—"

"WAAAAIT!" Without warning, Jimmy burst into the room, dashed over, and skidded to a stop. Gasping, he pushed two sandwiches into Chris's hands like it was a matter of life and death. "You forgot…lunch…uugh…" He sank to the floor, completely winded.

"Oh yeah." Chris slid the PB and J's into his pack, then waved. "Thanks, Jimmy!"

Without so much as a backward glance, he took off hot on his brother's tail.

Aviva sighed, folding her arms. "Aaand they're off again."

xxxx

Twenty minutes later, Chris came to a standstill under a cluster of pine trees to take a look around. The terrain was mountainous and rocky, covered in scrubby forest, and very easy to get disoriented or lost in. In fact, that was exactly what was on his mind at the moment. He'd been wandering through the wilderness this whole time looking for Martin, but he hadn't turned up yet.

He'd tried contacting him on the creature pod without any luck. After that, he'd resorted to calling out his name. Unfortunately, that didn't prompt a response either. He'd even gone so far as to try the old "Marco Polo" bit, but all he got out of that was the echo of his own voice bouncing around between the hills. It was way too early to be worried yet and it wasn't as if Martin couldn't take care of himself, he just tended to rush into things and get distracted.

_That must be it_, Chris thought, _he probably found something cool and lost track of time._

If that was the case, Martin would stay put for a while giving Chris time to take a break. He slipped off one strap of his pack and swung it forward to reach for his water bottle, completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching his every move from inside a dense clump of brush.

After a couple gulps, Chris froze, suddenly aware that he wasn't alone. Slowly, he lowered the bottle and turned, listening hard.

For a moment, he couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat and the normal ambiance of the woods. Whatever was there knew he was on to them, which sort of creeped him out. He didn't know why, though, since it was probably just an animal. After all, that was what they were out here to track in the first place. He relaxed a bit and decided it might be better to leave this particular creature alone for the time being—

Chris tensed up again. He could've sworn he'd just seen a shape scrabble up the tree nearest to the clump of brush. And the thing was big. Had somebody spiked his breakfast this morning, or was he seeing things?

"Maybe it's just my imagination…"

"Or maybe it's your BROTHER! YAAHAHA!"

"AAA—OOMF!"

Before Chris could make a move, Martin jumped out of the tree and flattened him. Seconds later, he was back on his feet and laughing hysterically. Chris, on the other hand, didn't have any air left in his lungs to do anything.

"Ha! You shoulda seen your face!" Martin was bent over double, hands on his knees, still busting a gut. "I got you good, bro! Man, I wish I had instant replay for that one!"

Chris spit out the mouthful of dirt he'd acquired on impact with the ground and pushed up to all-fours.

"How long have you been following me?"

"Since you hightailed it out of the Tortuga half an hour ago."

Chris blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Wow. That's kind of embarrassing."

"Sorry, dude. Couldn't resist." Martin offered his younger brother a hand and pulled him to his feet. "I gotta say, though, you looked pretty funny walking around yelling 'Marco' over and over again—ow!"

Chris folded his arms after punching Martin in the shoulder. "You just watch it. I'm gonna get you back for that."

xxxx

After a small hike and a lengthy discussion—laced with promises of revenge from Chris—the two decided they could get twice as much mapping done if they split up. Martin would continue up the mountainside while Chris descended into the wide ravine at the bottom. The plan was to check in every hour and meet back at the Tortuga before nightfall.

Well, it _had _been a good plan at the beginning. As far as Martin was concerned it was fantastic. He'd touched base with his brother regularly since going his way with news of some awesome new animal find or another. Chris, on the other hand, was starting to get the impression that today was not his day. It all started with Martin's prank and then went downhill from there. Literally.

He'd traipsed the bottom of that ravine all day and hadn't come across anything more exciting than a couple squirrels and a snail. It was almost laughable the way his measly hourly reports differed from Martin's.

Now it was late evening and starting to get dark. The shadows seemed to creep up especially fast down in the gorge where Chris had parked himself with his back to a tree. He'd all but given up on the whole expedition over an hour ago and resigned himself to the quiet of the forest. In other words, he was bored out of his mind.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting and staring off into space when he realized he had that odd feeling again. Was it Déjà vu, or was he being watched? Quickly, Chris jumped to his feet and whipped around.

Nothing was there.

"Hmm. Martin, are you trying to sneak up on me again?" he called, partly to reassure himself, but mostly to make some noise in the unsettling silence. "It won't work this time. I'm on to you!"

He waited. Something had to be there and he knew it. Several seconds later, a rustling in the brush behind the tree confirmed his suspicions. Already on edge from the day's previous incident, Chris hunched down, arms in front of him, preparing for whatever else his brother could dish out. He wasn't going to let Martin get away with this a second time.

All at once, the bushes quivered violently, causing Chris to jump in surprise. A couple frustrated grunts followed. That definitely wasn't Martin.

Chris gulped, not sure what to think. "Oh great. If that's not you, Martin…"

The bushes shuddered again and he took a step back.

"Maybe it's a bobcat…or a mountain lion…"

Another shake sent leaves and twigs scattering. Whoever it was was having a rough time untangling himself in order to pounce.

"Maybe it really is just my imagination. I've been out here too way too long."

As soon as those words left his mouth, a large, chunky, blonde shape burst through the underbrush.

"AAGH! _Dabio_?!"


	3. Kratt-Napped

***A/N: I don't do author's notes often, especially ridiculously long ones like this, but I have to admit, I was NOT expecting so many reviews all at once. Not at all. I usually write in the **_**Ghostbusters**_** universe and you're lucky to get maybe one every few chapters or so over there. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks! I usually try to PM a response to each individual review, but there were, like…a kazillion so I hope you all get to read this and know that I really appreciate the reviews! Woohoo! **

**My **_**Ghostbusters**_** muse is a bit burned out so I've decided to take a break and go in a different, less complicated direction for a while. That being said, after watching a few episodes of **_**Wild Kratts**_**, this story kind of popped into my brain. And I'm not one to pass up a plotline when it so willingly lands at my feet. I've always enjoyed reading/writing kid's stories, so this presents a wonderful opportunity to do just that.**

**If you want to know more about me and/or other things I've written, feel free to look up my profile, check out my blog, or drop me a PM. Ok, shutting up now. ;)**

**-DF**

**Chapter 2**

**Kratt-Napped**

For a few seconds, Chris and Dabio stood staring each other down in complete shock, neither one quite knowing what to do. Donita's henchman looked a little ruffled around the edges. His long blonde hair was tangled and full of sticks and leaves and he was covered in dirt. By the looks of it, he'd been tramping through the woods for a while and Chris had to wonder how he'd gone all day without noticing him. Dabio wasn't exactly the most graceful or sneaky guy that ever lived. That probably explained why there weren't many animals around, too.

Finally, Chris broke the awkward silence. "Uh…what're you doing out here?"

Dabio shrugged. "Donita told me to catch a Kratt so that's what I'm gonna do."

Chris choked back a laugh. "'Catch a Kratt'? She actually said that?"

Dabio nodded, grinning eagerly.

"Well, _that_ doesn't sound too good, so…I think I'll be going now. See ya!"

Before Dabio could comprehend what was happening, Chris bolted past him and headed up the slope as fast as he could.

"Hey!" Dabio shouted.

Naturally, Chris didn't bother to look back since he was a little busy scrabbling up the steep side of the ravine. The going was pretty rough, but unless he wanted to get caught and dragged off to the dreaded pink jet, he had no choice but to keep going.

Once he was at the top where the incline leveled off somewhat, he took a second to get his bearings, catch his breath, and come up with a quick plan. Judging by the clump of pine trees and brush right in front of him, he guessed he was in the very spot where Martin had tackled him that morning. And it wouldn't be long before Dabio would clear the edge of the ravine and find him standing there.

Sure enough, Chris heard him crashing through the underbrush below. And by the sound of it, he still only had one thing on his mind. Chris wasn't at all surprised.

"Catch a Kratt, catch a Kratt, catch a Kratt…" he chanted to himself.

"Not today," Chris muttered. At this point, there was really only one thing to do. He ran for the nearest tree and swung himself into the safety of its branches. Quickly, he climbed higher and higher until he found a place to perch and watch the show.

Just as he got settled, Dabio scrambled out of the ravine and stopped in his tracks right under Chris's tree, looking around and scratching his head. Baffled, he glanced in every direction—every direction, that is, except straight up. After what seemed like ages, he came to some sort of decision and trotted away.

Chris sucked in a sharp breath, a wave of relief washing over him as he leaned against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes.

"Whew!" he huffed, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. "That was easier than I thought."

Maybe a little too easy? His eyes snapped open.

Martin!

Dabio was heading up the mountainside toward his brother! Chris reached for his creature pod and his stomach did a nasty flip. It wasn't there. He'd left it and his backpack down in the ravine, but he didn't have time to go find them and make it back up the mountain to get to Martin before Dabio did. Even though he didn't have a clue as to what Donita was up to, Chris was pretty sure she wouldn't care which Kratt her sidekick managed to snag for her latest scheme.

xxxx

Martin lay flat on his stomach, all his attention focused on the scene in front of him. He was just about to start down the mountain and go back to the Tortuga when he'd stumbled across a couple rock chucks. After that, everything else took the backseat, including getting his rear to HQ for the night. He'd already had a successful day so he figured stopping to watch the little animals for a few minutes couldn't hurt.

But, as usual in Martin's case, those few minutes turned into ten. Then ten minutes turned into fifteen. Half an hour later, he came back to his senses and realized that he couldn't see anything anymore because the sun had set.

"Uh oh!" He jumped up, pulling out his headlamp. Once he had it on, he pivoted around on one foot, ready to split, but stopped short. He could've sworn he'd just heard…

"Naaah." Martin shrugged and put a hand on his chin to think. Chris was probably already at the Tortuga. After all, he was the one who insisted they be back before dark. If anything, Martin figured he was in for an earful from both Chris and Aviva once he strolled in late. That was no way to finish off such a great day, so with that in mind, he took off for home.

xxxx

Chris raced up the mountainside as fast as he could. Despite the fact he had to keep jumping over rocks and roots and dodging low-hanging tree branches, he'd never run uphill so fast. Without his creature pod, he couldn't pinpoint Martin's exact location or call for backup. All he knew was that Dabio was going in the same direction his brother had gone that morning.

Finally, he couldn't run anymore. He wobbled to a stop feeling like his lungs were about to catch fire. Martin was nowhere in sight and neither was Dabio, for that matter. Heart pounding as he gasped for breath, Chris leaned forward with his hands on his knees while he planned his next move. He was probably too late and that meant Martin might already be in serious trouble—

Wait a second! Was that a light up ahead? Chris squinted through the dim forest to get a better look, unaware of the large shape looming up right behind him. It _was_ a light. Not just any light—that was a headlamp! His brother was standing about fifty feet away. Feeling ecstatic, Chris took a step forward.

"Martin! Mart—_hlgck_!" His voice was choked off as somebody got a handful of the collar of his jacket and yanked him backwards into the bushes.


	4. Where's Chris?

**Chapter 3**

**Where's Chris?**

Aviva paced back and forth at the top of the Tortuga's entrance ramp. The sun had set almost half an hour ago and the Kratt brothers still hadn't emerged from the woods or even checked in since then. That meant they were either hung up on something important, or they were in trouble. Aviva sincerely hoped the first possibility was the case.

"Any sign of them yet?"

Aviva paused as Jimmy and Koki came up behind her.

"No," she sighed.

Koki put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, they know what they're doing. They'll turn up before long…I hope."

"Hey!" Jimmy blurted, pointing out into the darkness. "What's that over there?"

Koki and Aviva turned to see what had caught his attention. In the distance, just inside the thick line of trees at the edge of the meadow where the Tortuga sat, a bright point of light bobbed up and down.

"It…it looks like a—" started Koki.

"Headlamp!" Aviva finished, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "It's them. It has to be!"

"Wait a sec," Jimmy squinted at the light which was coming closer and closer. "I only see one."

Koki and Aviva exchanged a worried glance.

"Oh no."

xxxx

Martin cleared the woods and headed for the Tortuga. He could see several silhouettes in the light coming from the entrance. Oh boy. It looked like the whole gang was waiting to chew him out for being late.

For a second, he considered stopping to tie his shoe or pretending to trip or something just to postpone the inevitable lecture he knew he was about to get. But that would probably make things worse. It would be better to get there quick and get it over with. Might as well speed things up a bit.

He broke into a jog and within about thirty seconds, he was at the bottom of the ramp. As he'd expected, Aviva was the first to rush down to him. She didn't look too happy.

"Where have you _been_?"

Martin launched into the speech he'd been rehearsing all the way down the mountain. "Ok, I'm reeeeeally sorry I'm late. I just got a _little _distracted…" he held up a thumb and finger to indicate the amount, "just a tiny bit. And then I lost track of time and before I knew it the sun had set and…" he trailed off as Jimmy and Koki came down the ramp as well. Somebody was missing from this picture. "Hey, where's Chris?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that," said Koki, folding her arms.

Martin blinked. "You…you mean he hasn't come back yet?"

The other three shook their heads.

Martin laughed nervously and looked over his shoulder. "You're joking right? He's probably waiting to jump out and ambush me when I least expect it, right?"

Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy all stared at him blankly.

"Right, guys?"

Koki lifted an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"

"Um…because I kindasortamaybe did that to him this morning," Martin blurted quickly.

"What?"

"It was just a prank! He said he was going to get me back. I didn't know he would take it so personally."

"Martin," said Aviva in all seriousness, "we haven't heard from Chris since the last report over two hours ago."

xxxx

Dabio bounced up the steps of Donita's pink jet and through the door, a large brown knapsack slung over his shoulder.

"Donita!" he called, grinning from ear to ear. "Donita, I got one!"

The fashionista dropped the swatch of fabric she was about to pin on to a manikin and spun around, clapping her hands. "Ah! It looks like Christmas has come a little early this year after all."

Dabio stopped and swung the bag out in front of him for her to see, then let it drop to the ground with a thud. Whatever was inside wanted out. Badly. The bag gave a wriggle which was accompanied by a string of muffled protests.

Donita took a step back, eyeing the bag suspiciously. "Are you sure you brought me a Kratt and not some crazed monster from the forest?"

Dabio considered this inquiry for a moment, then nodded. "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I did just what you said. You said 'catch a Kratt' and that's what I did. I caught a Kratt!"

"Hmm." Donita stepped up and nudged the sack with a foot, prompting a sharp yelp. "Well, it sounds human enough. I'd say it's time to let the Kratt out of the bag. Ah-ha-ha!"

"Ha…ha-ha!" Dabio laughed right along with her, even though he had no clue what was so funny.

"Let's see which brother will be joining us tonight."

The henchman loosened the top of the sack, then picked it up and flipped it over none too gently. With another yelp, Chris tumbled out onto the floor.

"Well, Chris-Angelo!" Donita sang. "How nice to see you. And how are we feeling this fine evening?"

Chris didn't answer immediately. The journey to the jet hadn't exactly been the most pleasant trip he'd ever been on. He was completely disoriented, his head was still spinning, and the last thing he wanted to do in front of these two was throw up. Might as well tell the truth…

"Kinda sick," he said finally. Then he sat up, rubbing the back of his head and scowling. "Ok, what's going on? You don't nab a guy off the side of a mountain for just anything."

Donita folded her arms. "Really, Chris. You should know by now that I don't _do_ 'just anything'. It's not in my nature. All of my plans are fabulous."

"Then how come we keep managing to mess them up?"

She leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "That's not going to happen this time around. _This_ plan is the most fabulous one I've ever had."

"And why is that?" Chris wasn't so sure he wanted to know.

"Because _you're_ going to help us pull it off!"


	5. The Evil Plan

**Chapter 4**

**The Evil Plan**

Chris couldn't believe his ears.

"Sorry," he said, standing up and shaking his head to clear it, "but I've been bumping around inside a knapsack for the past half hour and I'm still a little out of it. _What_ did you just say?"

"You heard me right the first time,"Donita replied, examining her fingernails calmly. "I said you're going to help me carry out my plot."

"Huh!" Chris folded his arms defiantly. "What on earth makes you think I would even _consider_ helping you?"

Donita threw back her head and gave a shrill laugh. "Oh, Chris-Angelo! I don't think you understand the situation. See, you don't have a choice in the matter."

Chris gulped, not at all liking the direction this conversation was headed.

Donita turned. "Dabio?" she called.

Chris took a step back. Maybe he could make a break for it while she wasn't looking. Slowly, he inched his way toward the door, preparing to bolt as soon as he got there—

"Where do you think you're going?"

Chris flinched. No such luck.

Dabio reappeared from wherever he'd been for the last couple minutes. "Yeah, Donita?"

"Pull up a chair for our guest. He's looking a little tired."

Dabio squinted at Chris. "He looks ok to me…"

"Just do it!" snapped Donita.

Chris scooted back a bit more. "Uh...you know what? I feel great. Gee, look at the time! I really should be getting back to the Tortuga. Martin and the crew are probably worried sick and out looking for me right now—whaagh!" Without warning, Chris suddenly found himself sitting in the chair Dabio shoved up right behind him under his legs.

"Perfect." Donita reached behind her, brought out a coil of pink rope and tossed it to her sidekick. "Now tie him up."

Before Chris could make another move, Dabio started wrapping him up like a gaudy, out-of-season Christmas tree. Before long, his torso had completely disappeared beneath a thick layer of disgustingly pink coils.

"That's better," Donita said as her henchman finished tightening the knot. "Ugh. Go take a bath, Dabio. You smell like you've been running through the woods all day."

He rubbed his hands together in excitement then bounded out of the room. "Oo! I love bath time! Bubbles! Big, pretty bubbles!"

"Rrrgh! Nnngh!" Chris grunted as he tested the strength of the rope. It was no use. He wasn't going anywhere for the time being. "Hmm…guess I'll be sticking around here for a while after all. So, no pose beam, huh?"

Donita shrugged. "I'm going to need all of them once things get rolling. That's why I can't spare one on you."

"'All of them'? How many of those things do you have?"

"Oh, lots. I'm going to need at least eight to hold all the reindeer once you find them for me."

Chris's mouth dropped open. "Eight? Reindeer? What're you _talking_ about?"

"Ah, well, I'm planning the most magnificent Christmas fashion show in the world!"

"Christmas? But it's the middle of Aug—"

"Shh! Don't interrupt! As I was saying, you're going to find and capture eight beautiful reindeer for me to freeze, wrap up with lots of glittery, colorful lights and line my runway with! Isn't it just marvelous?!" She clasped her hands in anticipation, grinning happily. "I can hardly wait!"

Chris had heard enough. "_What_?! You can't do that! Reindeer shouldn't be frozen and decorated to line runways! They belong living free and in the wild!"

Donita's expression slid from giddiness to annoyance. "You know, you say that a lot."

"Yeah, I do. It's because people like you can't seem to get it through your heads! Besides, there aren't any reindeer around here. You're probably thinking of caribou, which is another name for a reindeer, and they live a lot farther north. And another thing, I would never, ever, _ever_ help you catch one in a million years!"

"I knew we'd run into this little snag," Donita sighed, "and that's why it pays to plan ahead. Nothing's going to stop me this time, so excuse me while I make an important call." She crossed the room, picked up a small remote from her sofa and aimed it at a large screen on the wall to the right. After punching a couple buttons, the screen fizzled to life to reveal a dreary grey and black room. "Zach? Zach, are you there?"

Nothing happened.

"ZACH!" screeched Donita.

A few seconds later, Zach slid sideways into the picture, looking grumpy and only half-awake.

"What?! What do you want?! This'd better be good. I was asleep—oh. Donita." He caught sight of Chris a few feet behind her and leaned in until only his eyes filled the screen. "Wait a second…is that one of those Wild Rats?"

"That's 'Wild Kr—'"

Donita cut in before Chris could finish. "Yes, it is."

"What's he doing over there?"

"I'll explain everything later. Right now I need a favor. How fast can you get here?"

Zach sat back from the screen again and rubbed his goatee. "Hmm…depends. What kind of favor are we talking about?"

"Have you come up with anything new in the mind control department lately?"

Zach folded his arms, looking slightly insulted. "Duh. That's only what I do all day, every day. Just name the animal and I'll be on my way."

"Alright, then, what do you have that could put the mind of a Kratt brother in the palm of my hand?"

"_What_?!" Chris blurted before he could stop himself.

Onscreen, Zach's eyes lit up and a creepy smile spread over his pointed face. "I've got just the thing for you, Donita."


	6. False Alarm

**Chapter 5**

**False Alarm**

Martin lay flat on his back on the floor of the Tortuga, legs bent up at the knees and both arms crossed over his eyes.

"Aaaagh," he moaned, "this is all my fault. I knew I shouldn't have jumped on him this morning."

Aviva, who was sitting cross-legged on top of the circular panel at the center of the room, sighed. "How is this your fault? Somehow, I don't think your prank has anything to do with why Chris's gone missing."

Balling his fists, Martin uncovered his eyes and started pounding his forehead over and over with his knuckles. "I know, I know, you're probably right. It's just, that was the last time I saw him today. I was _laughing_ at him. And now I've _lost_ him! Some big brother I am."

Koki reached down and caught Martin's wrists before he could get in another whack. "Punching yourself in the face isn't going to help things. He's _gotta_ be out there somewhere."

"I know. That's the whole problem."

"What I don't get is why he hasn't tried to contact us if he's in trouble."

Martin sat up and gasped. "You know, you're right. Maybe he's hurt and can't get to his creature pod!"

"Maybe he broke it," Jimmy chimed in.

"Or maybe he lost it," said Aviva.

Wide-eyed, Martin stood up and grabbed a clump of his hair in each fist. "This is terrible! He's out there by himself with no way of contacting us! We've got to help him!" He started in the direction of his headlamp and creature pod which were sitting on the charger across the room, but Koki and Aviva both grabbed him by an arm before he got very far.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Aviva said. "You're not going back out there by yourself. You'll do better if you have another pair of eyes to help you look. I'm coming with you."

"Good thinking—"

Before he could finish, a loud crackling issued from the communications console and a fuzzy image appeared onscreen for a split second before cutting out. Koki immediately jumped over and began tapping away at the panel.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered, fingers flying over the keys and buttons. The console crackled with static again. "It's coming from Chris's creature pod!"

The other three rushed up and crowded in behind her.

"Can you stabilize the image?" Aviva asked.

"Working on it…"

"C'mon, Chris!" Martin begged. "Keep trying! Stay with us!"

The screen went blank, dragging them all into a disbelieving silence.

"No, no, no, no!" yelled Martin. "Ya gotta let us know where you are, bro!"

"Hang on," said Koki, "I think I can pinpoint his approximate location." She tapped a few more buttons and a map of the area they were in popped up onscreen. "There!" she pointed at the little red dot in the center of the image.

Jimmy punched the air with a fist. "Alriiiight! Way to go, Koki!"

"Just a second," said Aviva, leaning in to squint at the screen. "That's the same place down in the ravine he reported from over two hours ago!"

"Which means he hasn't moved," Martin concluded. "Something's definitely wrong here. Let's go!"

"Ok, Jimmy and Koki, you two stay here just in case Chris tries to contact us again," ordered Aviva as she hurried to catch up with Martin.

Jimmy and Koki exchanged a determined glance and saluted.

"Got it."

xxxx

"Martin!" Aviva called. "Wait up!"

Martin slowed to a standstill in the pitch-dark forest at the bottom of the ravine. He'd been so anxious to get there and find his brother that he kept overlooking the fact that his legs were much longer than Aviva's.

"Sorry," he said as she staggered up beside him and sank down onto a rock to catch her breath.

This was the place Koki had said Chris's last report came from. There was only one problem: no Chris. Anywhere.

"I don't get it," said Martin after one last sweep around the clearing. "He should be here."

Aviva shook her head, completely baffled.

Not about to quit now that they were so close Martin cupped his hands around his mouth. "Chris!" he called. "Chris! Where are you! Can you hear me?!" The only answer he got was the echo of his own voice.

At that moment, Aviva's ears pricked up. She was almost sure she'd heard some sort of tapping sound off in the bushes between Martin's shouts. She stood up.

"Martin!" she whispered hoarsely. "Did you hear that?"

But he was already taking a deep breath. "CHRIS!" he hollered at the top of his lungs.

"Shhh!" She tried to wave him off but he wasn't paying attention.

"CHRIIImmf—" he started, but Aviva clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Stop yelling for a second! I thought I heard something."

Both stayed absolutely still, straining to hear through the dense quiet of the nighttime woods.

And there it was again: *_tap, tap, tap_*.

Martin dropped to a crouch and motioned for Aviva to do the same. Slowly, he inched forward toward a dense patch of brush, then pushed it aside to reveal—

"A raccoon?!" he and Aviva exclaimed as the beams of their headlamps illuminated the furry animal perched on top of a rock.

It stared right back at them, every bit as surprised as they were. In its hands was the small, shiny, green object which it had been busy smacking against the rock up to this point: Chris's creature pod.


	7. Bad to Worse

**Chapter 6**

**Bad to Worse**

"Well, this explains a few things," Aviva said. "Chris wasn't trying to get in touch with us after all!"

*_Beepbeepbeep_*

She pulled out her own creature pod and pushed a button. A glowing view of the inside of the Tortuga, complete with Jimmy and Koki standing in the middle, flickered to life in the dark above it.

"Any luck, guys?" Koki asked.

"Well, we found Chris's creature pod, but no Chris. Turns out the SOS came from a raccoon."

"A raccoon?" both Koki and Jimmy blurted together.

Aviva sighed. "We'll keep you posted. Over and out." The floating image faded and she turned to Martin. "So, what do we do now?"

He didn't answer. Normally, he would've been thrilled at such an encounter with a nocturnal animal in the woods, but this time, it was personal. Carefully, he reached for the device.

"Hey, Rocky—can I call you Rocky? Uh, not to crash your party or anything, but we _really_ need this back." He tried to pry it away from the animal, but Rocky wasn't having any of it. Martin pulled harder.

Aviva couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Rggh! C'mon, buddy! I know it's nice and shiny and pretty, but it's my brother's! WHOA!" Martin's grip slipped and he overbalanced, tipping backwards into the dirt. As if to add insult to injury, Rocky jumped from his seat and darted right over him into the brush.

"Oh no!" Aviva cried, pointing after him. "He's still got the creature pod!"

"Quick! We can't let'im run away with it!" He scrambled to his feet and they both rushed after the raccoon. "Rocky! Wait up! You've gotta give that back!"

"Which way did he go?"

"Hang a right! Hang a right!"

All that mattered right now was getting Chris's creature pod back. Other things, like minding what was lying in their path, for example, were automatically pushed to the back burner. Unfortunately, they figured out pretty quickly that maybe that should have been a priority.

"Whoa!" Martin yelped, spotting a large, bulky object on the ground. "Roadblock at twelve o' clock! Mayday! MAYDAY!" Arms flailing, he tried to skid to a stop before he tripped and sent them both sprawling, but it was too late.

Unable to slow down, Aviva smacked right into him and they went down in an impressive cloud of dust. After that, all they could do for a few seconds was lay there in surprise, trying to get their breath back.

Martin coughed a couple times. "Uuugh! What was that? Are you ok?"

Aviva pushed up from the ground, blinking dazedly. "I think so…" Then she gasped and her eyes widened. "Look!" She pointed. There on the ground, about five feet in front of where they had landed, was the battered, cracked and dirty creature pod. Aviva laughed a little in relief. "He must've dropped it!"

Martin hopped quickly to his feet, grinning as he stepped over and scooped it up. "Thanks, Rocky!" he called. "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances!"

"Uh…Martin?"

He turned. The smile had faded from Aviva's face as she now pointed at what had sent them tumbling to the ground.

"I think it's…" she started.

"Chris's backpack!" Martin dropped to his knees beside it. "Aww, man! Could things get any worse around here?"

*_CRACK!_*

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, followed by an almost immediate deluge of rain.

"Guess that answers that question," Martin mumbled miserably.

xxxx

Back at HQ, Martin and Aviva both sat shivering under thick layers of blankets as the downpour continued outside.

"A raccoon," Jimmy said, shaking his head. "I still can't believe it was a raccoon!"

"He _was_ pretty cute," Aviva said.

"Yeaaah…" Martin sighed, head drooping. "But he wasn't Chris."

"I don't get it," Koki said. "Why would he just drop everything and run off?"

"He wouldn't," Martin answered. "If he was in trouble, he wouldn't go wandering around, _especially_ without his gear or his creature pod."

"Of course not," agreed Aviva. "I think there's more here than meets the eye."

"Whaddaya mean?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, all the evidence seems to point to one logical conclusion."

"And what's that?"

"I think we're dealing with a genuine Kratt-napping."

The others groaned.

"Aww!" Koki buried her face in her hands. "Not again!"

"But who would wanna take off with Chris?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, we've got three choices." Martin poked a hand out of his blankets to hold up a finger for each villain. "Gourmand," he ticked off one finger, "Donita," and another, "or Zach. Take your pick."


	8. Bye-Bye Brain

**Chapter 7**

**Bye-Bye Brain**

Chris had no idea how long he'd had to watch Donita mutter to herself while scribbling on her sketchpad. His hands were starting to go numb—so was his backside—and Zach was taking his sweet time getting here which was making Donita all the more irritable.

It was driving him crazy knowing that the others must be worried sick over him by now and that he couldn't do anything about it. It didn't help that had to sit there and think about the one thing he'd actually forgotten to pack: a pocket knife. If only he'd slipped it into his pocket that morning, he'd probably be free by now and well on his way to finding the others and thwarting Donita's plans once again.

But that wasn't the case. He was still stuck in a pink jet, tied to a chair with a completely unnecessary amount of pink rope and on the brink of having his brain fried by one of Zach Varmitech's gadgets. This had to be one of the worst days of his life.

The sound of a piece of paper being violently crumpled brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up just in time to see the latest victim of Donita's impatience being thrown to the floor to join the growing pile of paper.

Chris couldn't help himself. "Ever heard of recycling?"

Donita threw him a look that could've killed him on the spot.

"Just thought I'd ask…eh-heh…" He shut his mouth, resolving to keep any further comments to himself.

The fashionista stood up from the couch where she'd been seated for the past half hour and began to pace.

"Where is he?" she muttered. "Doesn't he know it's extremely _rude_ to keep someone waiting this long?"

As if on cue, Zach's pale face popped in through the jet's entrance. "_Ah-hem_…you rang?"

She rolled her eyes. "What took you so long?"

Zach stepped inside, flanked by his usual entourage of Zachbots.

"Sheesh," Zach muttered, giving his own eyeroll, "get delayed by one little thunderstorm and this is what happens." He turned to Chris. "Hi, Green-Guy. I see you've managed to get yourself into another tight spot. Literally, heh-heh! So, where's your other half?"

"Sorry, he couldn't make it," Chris answered, attempting a shrug.

Donita sighed, "I really would have preferred the matching pair, but I guess one will do. Now, enough chit-chat. My Christmas fashion show reindeer aren't going to wait around."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "Christmas? But it's only—"

Donita scowled. "I know, I know. Don't make me explain this again. Bottom line is, I need eight reindeer and _he_," she pointed at Chris, "is going to get them for me. That's where you come in, Varmitech."

"Wait, pause, hold it!" This was getting to be almost too much for Chris to handle. "This is never gonna work. I already told you, reindeer, otherwise known as 'caribou', don't even live here."

Zach folded his arms, looking smug. "Then what were those antlered-thingies I saw out there on the way over?"

"Probably mule deer or elk. _Not_ reindeer."

"Hmm." Donita narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you. Zach?"

"Zachbots!" he shrieked. "Bring in the mind control thing!"

"Real creative name, Zach," Chris mumbled.

He turned, bending down to poke Chris in the shoulder a couple times. "Oh yeah? Well, just you wait. After I use it on you, you'll be doing nothing but collecting carry-boo's for the rest of your life."

"Y'know, that threat would make me a lot more nervous _if_ there were any caribou around here _to_ collect!"

"Whatever." Zach straightened as one of the Zachbots pushed in a bulky, square-shaped contraption covered with a sheet. "And now, Donita, I give you the solution to all your Kratt-brother-mind-controlling needs!"

With a flourish, he reached up and pulled the sheet away. Underneath it was a cart, on top of which was a black remote and a tiny earpiece. The bottom shelf of the cart was occupied by a small control panel covered in buttons and dials.

Donita looked completely unimpressed.

"_That_…is your device?" She grabbed Zach by a fistful of his sweater and pulled him up to her level. "_That's_ going to get me my eight reindeer?!"

"Hey, hey, lay off the shirt! Don't be fooled by its size."

Donita shook her head, letting him go. "Let's just get this over with."

Chris squirmed a little as Zach picked up the ear piece and came toward him.

"Uh…don't you think we could talk this over? I mean, I'm kind of attached to my mind the way it is!"

"Hold still, Wild Rat! This earpiece is what's going to direct the mind-zapping beam into your brain so we can tell you what to do!"

"This is insane!" Chris leaned away from Zach as far as he could in a last-ditch effort to keep his brain and everything in it out of the clutches of the villains. Of course, it was no use and the skinny inventor slipped the tiny gadget into his ear before he could get out another protest.

"Ha! There!" Zach backed up rubbing his hands together. He stepped behind the cart and started flipping switches and pushing buttons on the panel.

"C'mon, guys!" Chris pleaded. "I've got places to go, things to see... This isn't cool! Not cool at all!"

Zach picked up the remote as the control panel hummed to life. "Stand back, Donita. One completely pliable Wild Rat, coming right up!" He aimed the remote between Chris's eyes. "Say bye-bye to your brain, Green-Guy. Ha-ha-haaa!"

*ZAP!*


	9. To the Brother Rescue!

**Chapter 8**

**To the Brother Rescue!**

Zach and Donita exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at Chris. He was completely still, eyes wide open and unblinking in a vacant stare.

"Zachbots, untie him!"

One of the robots zoomed over and sliced through the pink rope. As soon as the coils holding him to the chair loosened and fell off, Chris tipped over sideways and landed on the floor with a thud.

Zach gulped. "Oops…uh…that shouldn't happen…exactly…"

"Aaagh!" Donita shrieked, clapping her hands to the sides of her head. "You killed him! You weren't supposed to kill him! How will I get my reindeer now?!"

Zach stepped over and waved a hand in front of Chris's still open eyes. "He's not dead. Uh…I think he just needs to reboot—"

"You _think_? What do you mean, 'you think'?!"

"Hey, this is experimental technology! It's in the final testing stages so I'm still working out some bugs!"

Donita put her hands on her hips, glaring. "I don' have time for bugs!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "And I don't have time for experimental technology! My entire fashion show is on the line, so wake him up!"

"Alright, alright, I'm working on it!" Mumbling, Zach stepped back behind the cart, pulled out a laptop and hooked it up to the control panel. Then he took out a small microphone and tapped it. "_Ah-hem_! Is this thing on? Ok, Green-Guy, stand up."

To Donita's surprise, after a few twitches, Chris jumped to his feet.

Zach typed something into the laptop. "Now stand on one leg."

Chris did as he was told.

Zach turned to Donita with a smirk. "See? He'll do anything I tell him, and that includes going out there to round up your antlered-thingies."

Chris put his leg down, turned and started for the door, expression as blank as ever. "Antlered-thingiiiies…" he mumbled.

"Not yet, you nerd!" Zach snapped.

Chris stopped and touched his right ear where the tiny gadget had been placed. "Not yet, you nerd!" he repeated automatically.

"Hey, stop that!"

"Hey, stop that!"

Zach looked at Donita, giving her a nervous smile. "Eh-heh…like I said, we've still got some bugs to smooth out."

xxxx

"Hey, guys! C'mere!" Koki put down the bowl of cereal she'd been munching and waved her hands without turning around from the communications console. Jimmy and Aviva rushed to her side.

"What is it?" Aviva asked.

"I think I got something! I've been scanning the area for anything suspicious."

"And?" Jimmy asked through a mouthful of early morning pizza.

"And you can't get much more suspicious than the nasty pink jet."

Aviva gasped. "Oh no! You mean Donita's in the area?"

"Yeah! Chances are she's got Chris!"

Jimmy's half-eaten pizza slice went flying. "Yikes! What do we do?"

"Martin," Koki began tapping away as fast as she could, "she's parked that thing just a few miles north of where you two…Martin?"

"Hey, where is he, anyway?" Jimmy asked, picking up his pizza and dusting it off.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the side doors slid open. Standing in the shadow of the doorway, shivering and wrapped up to his ears in a blanket was what looked more like death warmed over than Martin Kratt.

"AAAUGH!" Jimmy screamed and scrambled to hide behind Aviva, who was no less surprised. "W-what _is_ that?!"

"Whoa!" Koki's eyes widened as she looked him up and down. "What happened t'_you_?"

"I feel aw—ah-ah-AHCHOO! I feel awful." Martin mumbled, shuffling into the room and plopping down into the nearest chair.

"You _look_ awful!" Aviva rushed up and took a quick scan with her creature pod. "And boy, are you ever running a fever! That rainstorm last night must've had it in for you."

Martin glanced miserably up at her. "You were id it too. How cub you're nod sick?" he asked, snuffling.

"Hmm, you've been pretty stressed out over Chris. Stress can lower your immune system, making you more prone to illness—"

"CHRIS!" Martin jumped up suddenly. "I gotta fide Chris!" He whipped around, ready to dash out the door and into the woods.

Aviva caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him back to the chair. "Oh no you don't! You're not going out there like this."

"What? Why dot?!"

"First of all," Koki tried to hide a giggle behind a hand, "you can't go running around in the wilderness in your striped blue jammies!"

Martin looked down. "Oh yeah. I'll go change really quick!" He started to get up again.

"Second," Aviva said, pushing him back down, "you're too sick! You're running a high fever and I think you might be just a little delirious."

"I'b dot that sick!" Martin protested. "And I'b dot delirious! I just want by brother ba—ah-AHCHOO! Uuugh…"

He looked up at Aviva as she was joined on either side by Jimmy and Koki.

"We'll get him back. Don't worry, we can handle it."

Martin sighed. "Fine."

Twenty minutes later, after listening to Koki give the lowdown to the others about her suspicions that Donita was in the area and most likely responsible for his brother's disappearance, Martin had heard all he needed. And he'd made up his mind. It wasn't as if he didn't trust the team to come up with a plan, he was just sure somebody would have to go out there eventually, and it might as well be him. He was going to find Chris or die from a cold virus while trying.

He coughed a couple times to let them know he was still there. "I think I'b going back to bed."

"Good idea," Aviva said without turning around. "We'll wake you up if we find anything."

"Uh…right." He stepped out and up to his room. There, he quickly changed, gathered up his backpack and slipped down to the front entrance. After stifling a terrific sneeze, he was down the ramp and on his way to the forest.


	10. Of Moose and Men

**Chapter 9**

**Of Moose and Men**

Surprisingly, Martin managed to get pretty far into the forest before HQ noticed he hadn't gone back to bed like he'd said. It was slippery, wet and muddy from the previous day's rainstorm, so the going was a bit tougher than he'd anticipated. He'd just dragged himself over the top of a hill and leaned against a tree to catch his breath when his creature pod started beeping madly.

"Uh-oh." He was definitely in for it this time. He pushed the button…

"Martin Kratt!" A life-size projection of Aviva flickered into existence in front of him. She didn't look happy. "What on _earth_ do you think you're _doing_?!"

Jimmy appeared beside Aviva. "You're gonna die of pneumomina!"

"I think you mean 'pneumonia'," Martin corrected.

"Yeah, that!"

Martin sighed. "Jimmy, I'll be fine. I mean, it's not like it's freezing or anything." He wiped some sweat from his forehead, "In fact, it's pretty toasty out here."

"It's toasty," said Koki, joining the other two, "because you're running a _fever_. You should be back here resting, not hiking through the woods."

"C'mon, guys. I gotta find Chris! Besides, all this fresh mountain air is good for me—ah-ah-AH—" he managed to muffle the sneeze before it could really get going, then grinned sheepishly at the others. "See? Better all ready."

Koki folded her arms. "That was real convincing, Martin."

"Look, I've just got this weird feeling that Chris is nearby somewhere. I have to try to find him."

"Fine, fine," Aviva said, rolling her eyes. "Just be careful. The whole forest probably knows you're on your way by now."

"Yeah," added Jimmy, "I wouldn't try sneaking up on anybody with that sneeze."

"Good point. Over and out—oh wait! D'you think you guys could teleport me a box of Kleenex?"

Aviva shook her head, trying to hide a small smile. "We'll see what we can do." The three projections disappeared, leaving him alone once again.

He was just about to start walking again when he thought he heard footsteps passing by not too far off. Quickly, he crouched down into the thick undergrowth, hoping not to startle whatever it was. The footsteps stopped for a few seconds, then continued in a different direction. Holding his breath and hoping not to sneeze at this crucial moment, Martin squinted and caught a glimpse of green. Could it be…?

All of a sudden, something materialized out of thin air and landed on top of his head.

"Hey!" he yelped as the box of tissues fell to the ground next to him. He pulled out his creature pod again.

Aviva's face popped up and she was trying to play innocent. "Oops! Sorry."

"You did that on purpose," grumbled Martin, rubbing his head as Aviva disappeared.

He picked up the box and stuffed it into his pack, then looked up in hopes of seeing that bit of green again. But it was already gone.

"Where'd you go?" Martin stood up, trying not to panic. If that was who he thought it was, he had to catch up. Without thinking, he took off.

Ten minutes later, he had to stop and wonder if he really was delirious. Maybe he was only seeing things and chasing after a figment of his feverish imagination. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, seriously considering turning around and heading back to the Tortuga. And then he heard it again: footsteps.

"Hello?" No answer. He straightened. "Chris, is that you?" Still nothing.

The others were right. He was way too out of it to be wandering through the woods. All he was doing was making himself more sick when he should be sleeping it off at HQ. Martin took out his creature pod, about to check in and tell them he was calling it quits when he spun around and smacked right into something—more like someone.

"Whoa!" Caught off-guard, he fell over backwards and landed on the ground. "_Chris_?!"

Chris didn't make a move, but stood there staring straight ahead, seemingly unfazed by the collision.

Martin popped back up to his feet, overcome with relief and grinning from ear to ear. "Chris! Where've you been, bro?" He paused, leaning in for a closer look at his unresponsive brother. "Chris?" He waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Hellooooo…? Dude, have you even blinked in the last few hours?"

Chris continued to stare blankly at his older brother, even as Martin took him by the shoulders and gave him a good shake.

"C'mon, bro, snap out of it! Stop goofing around, you're creepin' me out!"

Chris opened his mouth and turned to walk dazedly away. "Antlered-thingiiiiies…" he mumbled.

Martin blinked, not exactly sure what to think. "Uh…come again?"

"Got five…need three more…for Donita…"

Now Martin was really concerned. "What are you _talking_ about?!"

Chris jerked to a stop and touched his right ear. "Keep going, Green-Guy!"

"Huh? Green-Guy?"

"Stop talking to Blue-Boy and find the rest of those antlered-thingies!"

Martin looked around, just in case there was somebody else in the vicinity he wasn't seeing. "Wha…who're you talking to? What's going on here?"

"Stop repeating everything I say!"

"I haven't repeated _anything_ you've—"

"Get moving, Wild Rat!" Chris started wobbling off again, but he didn't get far.

"Ok, hold it!" Martin snagged the back of his jacket and brought him to a halt. "You just park it right there for a minute, little brother! Who're you calling a…" And then a thought suddenly occurred to him. He let go and pulled out his creature pod. "Martin to Tortuga HQ! Come in, Tortuga! Quick!"

The familiar view of the inside of the ship appeared in front of him, along with Aviva.

"What is it now, MK?"

"Listen, I found Chris—ah-AHCHOO!"

"Bless you. Martin, that's great! Where was he? Is he ok?"

"Uh…no. He's acting really weird. Weird as in the lights are on, but nobody's home. I think we've got more to worry about than Donita at the moment."

Aviva's ecstatic expression changed to worry. "Can you explain?"

"Well," he started ticking off fingers, "he's walking around like a zombie, not blinking, mumbling something about finding three more 'antlered-thingies', and when he talks, he touches his right ear and sounds a lot like our friend Zach."

Aviva thought for a moment. "Hmm. Hate to say it, but what you described sounds like a classic case of Zach-induced mind control to me."

"And you know this how?"

Aviva wrinkled her nose. "You're forgetting I spent a summer at science camp with the guy. Pretty sure I know his style when I see it…or hear about it."

"Oh yeah. Yuck. So, what do I do?"

"You said he touches his ear when he talks like Zach?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Varmitech must've put some kind of device in there that would allow him to communicate with Chris from a remote location and tell him what to do."

Martin made a face. "That's not disturbing at all."

"All you have to do is get it out of his ear. That should take care of it. As for the 'antlered-thingies'," Aviva shrugged apologetically, "your guess is as good as mine. Probably the only way you'll find out is if you get that thing out of his head, and _fast_!"

Martin nodded, then looked up just in time to see Chris stumbling in the direction a startled-looking bull moose.

"Antlered-thingiiiie…" he mumbled, stretching his arms toward it.

"YIKES! Gotta go, Aviva—CHRIS! STOP!"


	11. Wake Up, Chris

**Chapter 10**

**Wake Up, Chris**

Martin bolted after his clueless brother. "Chris, stay right there! Don't touch that moose!"

The large animal shied away from the oncoming threat at first, then lowered his head, preparing to charge.

Oblivious, Chris staggered onward. "Must…get…antlered…thingie…"

Martin was just within reach of snatching Chris by the collar of his jacket again, but at that moment, a debilitating sneeze knocked him off his feet. Momentarily stunned from his violent impact with the ground, he couldn't do anything but watch as the moose started on the warpath for his brother. At the last second, his brain switched into overdrive.

"Must…get—OOMF!" Chris huffed involuntarily as a streak of blue and blonde slammed into him from the side just as the moose galloped past at full speed.

As soon as he'd tackled Chris, Martin began to rethink whether it wouldn't have been better to get run over by the moose instead of falling off a steep edge and into the ravine. But there was nothing he could do about it now. The two of them bounced and rolled painfully down the rocky slope for what seemed like ages. Finally, they slid to a stop at the very bottom, covered in mud, sticks, and leaves.

Completely dazed, Martin had to wait for the tiny, imaginary winged moose to stop whirling around in front of his eyes before sitting up and rubbing his head. It was already throbbing from being so congested, but the less than graceful detour into the ravine definitely hadn't helped.

"Uuugh," he moaned, "maybe that wasn't such a good idea." He wiped some of the mud from his face and took a look around.

Chris had landed not far from him and was sitting up as well, but still looked like he was in some sort of trance. He started to stagger to his feet.

"Wait!" Martin called, throwing out a hand and jumping up. In two steps, he was by his brother's side before he could start crawling up the hill to continue his mindless search for antlered-thingies.

"Hold still. This won't hurt a bit…I hope." He took Chris's chin firmly in one hand and squinted at his right ear. There it was: the tiny, black gadget that didn't belong there and had Zach Varmitech written all over it. It must've been jogged loose slightly from the fall, which was lucky, otherwise Martin would never have seen it.

Without hesitation, he reached forward and snatched it out of Chris's ear. He could barely hear Zach's shrill voice shrieking something about thwarted plans and Wild Rats coming out of it.

"Ha!" Martin dropped the device to the ground. "Sorry to ruin your fun, Zach. No more mind control for you today!" And with that, he stomped on it. Afterwards, he glanced up just in time to see Chris's eyes roll back into his head as he tipped over backwards.

For a few seconds after his unconscious brother hit the ground, all Martin could do was stare openmouthed. Then he gasped and clapped both hands to the sides of his head.

"Aaaagh! Oh no! Oh no, no, no, this can't be happening! I…I think I just killed my brother!" He dropped to his knees beside Chris, trying to recall every bit of first-aid and CPR training he'd ever had. Frantically, he started tapping Chris's face. "C'mon, bro! It's already been a _really_ terrible day, so don't you dare kick the bucket and make it even worse!"

xxxx

The inside of Chris's brain was dark. Dark like somebody had turned out every available light in a windowless room. As he floated back to the surface of his senses, he couldn't help but wonder where he was, why he felt like he'd just rolled down a large hill, who was poking him in the face and shaking him, or why they were yelling so much. Whatever this was all about, it was getting a little annoying. Why did they have to keep shouting like that? He already felt like his head was going to split in half. And what was with this smacking-him-in-the-face thing?

And then slowly, the answer came to him. It must be Martin—he was probably trying to wake him up. But did he really have to do it like this? Sheesh. If this was the way it was gonna be, then maybe he'd have to do something about it. But what? His whole body felt heavy and sluggish. He tried to raise his arms and slap Martin's hands away, but all he managed was to turn his head.

"Mff…stoppit," he slurred. "I don't wanna get up." With a terrific effort, he slid his eyelids apart to find not a view of the inside of his childhood bedroom like he'd expected, but a muddy, rain-soaked forest. And then an anxious version of a familiar face filled his blurry line of vision.

"CHRIS!" Martin shouted.

"AAAGH!" Chris's eyes snapped all the way open as he sat bolt upright in total surprise. "Martin! What're you—what's going—where am I?!"

Martin took a deep breath in preparation for his hasty explanation. "You've been wandering around collecting 'antlered-thingies'"—he made little quotation marks with his fingers—"while under the influence of Zach's mind control and it's lucky I found you because you were about to try to snag a bull moose, but I saved you by tackling you and then nearly broke both our necks when we accidentally went careening down into the ravine—ah-ah-ahhh-AHCHOO!" Martin gasped, reaching for his backpack and pulling out an entire box of Kleenex.

Chris stared. "I did what? You…did _what_?" Then everything came rushing back to him. "Oh no! Martin, this is terrible! Donita wants eight reindeer for some crazy Christmas fashion show she's putting on. I tried telling her reindeer don't even live here, but I don't think she really cares."

Martin stopped blowing his nose. "Wait, Christmas? But it's only August."

Chris waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, that's what I said too, but it's not important at the moment. Listen, she kidnapped me to get them for her, but of course I refused and that's where Zach came into the picture."

"Ah-ha!" said Martin. "So _that's_ what all the 'antlered-thingies' stuff was all about. You kept saying that over and over. Got kind of old after a while."

"I did? No I didn't. You're just saying that."

"Uh, no I'm not. You were pretty out of it, dude—AHCHOO!"

"Whatever. But the important thing is you found me before I could do any damage, right?" Chris smiled expectantly.

Martin bit his lip.

"Right?"

"Well…not exactly…"

Chris's smile faded. "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Uh…while you had Zach in your head, you said something about already having found five 'antlered-thingies'—"

"WHAT?! You mean…I took wildlife _out_ of the wild?!"

"Well, it's not like you had a choice—ah-ah-AHCHOO!"

Chris looked like somebody had slugged him right in the stomach. He flopped backwards onto the ground in total shock. "I don't believe this! I should be jailed for life! I don't deserve to be a creature adventurer! I…I don't deserve to be a Kratt!"

"Take it easy, bro! We'll get'em back, don't worry—AHCHOO! Ughh…" Martin hugged his tissue-box close and sank to the ground, stretching out on his back a few feet away from his younger brother. "But maybe we should wait a few hours. I think I need a nap."

"Yeah, good idea." Chris rubbed his forehead. "Talk about migraine… Hey, why do you keep sneezing, anyway? You sound awful."

"I _feel_ awful. It's a long story, but Aviva and I got stuck in a freak thunderstorm last night while looking for you."

A pause fell between them for a few moments.

"So you're sick and I've just had my brain toasted by Zach," Chris evaluated. "This creature rescue should go really well."

Martin coughed a couple times, then stuck a determined fist in the air. "To the creature—AHCHOO!—rescue! We attack at dusk." He reached down for another tissue.

"Good plan."

"Kleenex?"

"Uh…no thanks."


	12. War-Paint

**Chapter 11**

**War-Paint**

Chris opened his eyes to a fading evening sky. He was still on his back and had apparently stayed that way for several hours. A loud snore to his left told him his brother was nowhere near joining him in the land of consciousness yet.

Rubbing his eyes and yawning, Chris sat up, looking over. Martin was curled up on his side, sound asleep with his mouth slightly open and his arms still wrapped around his tissue box. Chris almost hated to wake him up. The guy was obviously beat and could probably sleep until the cows came home, but they had five creatures to rescue and he couldn't leave him lying there in the woods by himself. Especially not now that it was getting dark.

He scooted over and gave his brother's shoulder a shake.

"Up an' at'em, Martin."

"Mmm?" Martin said without moving.

Chris gave him another shake, harder this time. "C'mon, bro. Ya gotta get up."

"But mommm…" he mumbled, scrunching his eyes shut.

With a sigh, Chris leaned in a little closer. "Wake up!"

All at once, Martin's eyes snapped open and he shot bolt upright, sending the tissue box flying. "YAAGH! GIMME THE SPAGHETTI AND NOBODY GETS HURT!"

"Whoa! Take it easy, dude!" Chris forced himself not to bust out laughing. "We're in the middle of the woods. There's no spaghetti out here."

Martin blinked in a couple times. "Oh yeah. How long've we been out?"

"A few hours, I think. It's starting to get dark."

Martin rubbed his hands together excitedly and narrowed his eyes. "Perfect. Time to commence Operation: Raid the Pink Jet and Rescue Some Creatures. Mwa-ha-ha-haaa!"

Chris threw him a worried look and took a step back. "On second thought, maybe we should get you back to HQ."

"No way! I've never felt better!" Martin waved him off, reaching for his pack. "I'm fine!"

The sound of a beeping creature pod cut into their conversation. Martin pressed a button and a projection of Aviva flickered to life in front of them.

"No you're not," she said flatly, folding her arms and glaring. "You're delirious." Then she caught sight of Chris and her face split into a grin. "CK! You're alright! The last I heard, you were about to take on a moose!"

"Yeaaah," Chris sighed, taking the creature pod from Martin, who was momentarily occupied with digging around for something in his backpack. He turned, lowering his voice so only Aviva could hear.

"Listen, I know Martin's a little out of it right now, but we've got some creatures to rescue. Five of them! And if we don't save them, Donita's gonna turn them into living Christmas decorations!"

"Christmas? In August?"

Chris shook his head. "Forget it. Look, I promise I'll get him straight back to the Tortuga after we complete the mission."

"Hmm." Aviva considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But don't get distracted on the way back. Martin has to get some rest."

"Got it."

"Oh! By the way, Koki managed to pinpoint the exact location of Donita's jet. I'll send you the coordinates. Good luck and be careful!"

"Thanks, Aviva! Over and out."

Aviva's image fizzled out. Chris turned back around.

"Ok, Martin, let's—"

Martin was standing on top of a rock in a sort of super-hero pose with his fists on his hips, a blue bandana was tied around his forehead and he'd painted black stripes on his face.

Chris dropped the creature pod and stared. "What're you _doing_? What's all over your face?"

"War-paint," Martin said matter-of-factly, folding his arms.

"Wha…'war-paint'? We're just going on a creature rescue mission, not to war. Isn't that your baseball grease?"

Martin jumped down from the rock and pulled a small tin from his pocket. "Yeah! It'll make us more intimidating to the enemy."

"To Zach, maybe, but Donita? I don't think so…"

"Hold still, you need some too."

Before Chris could say anything else, Martin had the tin open and was busy painting a pair of strips under each eye and a long line from his forehead down to the tip of his nose.

"Uh…are you finished?" Chris asked, going cross-eyed to try and see the black streak on his nose.

"Hold on, I brought you a bandana too." Martin pulled out a long, green piece of fabric and tied it around Chris's head. "There. Now we look awesome."

"No, I look ridiculous," Chris muttered under his breath, "and _you_ look like you're delirious." He made a mental note to wash his face thoroughly before showing up back at the Tortuga. It was a good thing Martin probably wouldn't remember any of this once he got over the fever.

"And now," Martin said, resuming his heroic stance with a fist in the air, "to the creature rescue! YAAAA!" He charged up the hill.

Chris watched him go, then rolled his eyes as he gathered up Martin's abandoned backpack, creature pod, and Kleenex box. "Who needs mind-control when flu-induced delirium works just as well?"


	13. Two Guys and a Slingshot

**Chapter 12**

**Two Guys and a Slingshot**

As usual, Koki's coordinates proved to be right on. The Kratt brothers now crouched down behind a clump of bushes within view of Donita's jet. In the dwindling light, the pinkish glow of several pose beams was clearly visible beside it.

Chris held a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Hmm."

"What do you see?" Martin asked.

"Well, it looks like we've got four mule deer bucks stuck in pose beams out here."

"Great! Then this should be easy."

"Not so fast. I said I only see four. I made off with five, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Maybe number five is inside the jet?"

"Dabio's out here too." Chris put down the binoculars, thinking with a hand on his chin. "We can't get to the jet with him standing around. Maybe there's a way we can knock out the beams and distract him at the same time."

"How about this?" Martin picked up a good sized rock and chucked it in the direction of the jet. It landed about ten feet short of the row of frozen deer. Dabio, who was busy scratching one of the deer under the chin and telling it how cute it was, didn't even turn around. "Oops."

"Hey! I think you're on to something. Now if only we had a way to throw a rock farther than that—whoa! What're you doing?"

Martin had grabbed the pack, which was still attached to Chris's shoulders, opened it, and started digging around inside.

"I think I might have something in here that could help. Let's see…" he began pulling out items and throwing them over his shoulder, "flashlight, batteries, trail mix—"

"You have trail mix?" Chris blurted.

"Here," Martin handed him the bag without looking up.

"Thanks. I'm starving!" Chris opened it and started munching away.

"…first-aid kit, duct tape, a piece of Jimmy's half-eaten pizza…"

"Yuck! What do you have that for?"

"…maps, North American wild plant guidebook, golf ball…"

"Golf ball? Martin, why do you lug all this stuff around everywhere we go?"

Martin shrugged "I never know what I'm gonna need on any given day. Hmm, now where were we? Disposable camera, matches, rubber chicken, slingshot, creature power suit instruction manual—"

Chris choked on a mouthful of trail mix and coughed, causing it to spray out everywhere.

"Did you say 'slingshot'?" he gasped after wiping his mouth on a sleeve.

"Yeah! Here it is." Martin handed it over.

"Perfect!" Chris slipped the pack from his shoulders and let it fall to the ground, then scooted up next to the bushes again. Then he picked up a rock and put it in the slingshot, taking aim with one eye shut and his tongue between his teeth...and let go.

The rock sailed off through the dim forest. Both of them waited breathlessly for a few seconds, and then a loud, metallic clank and a flicker of a pink light fizzling out told them the projectile had hit home.

"Nice shot, bro!" Martin congratulated.

"Thanks!"

The brother's high-fived and leaned forward for a better view of what was going on now. One of the spherical pose beam emitters crashed to the ground, sparking and smoking. The deer that had been standing motionless under it took off for the woods without even a backwards glance.

"Huh?" Dabio said, turning around. "Hey! Come back, reindeer!" He bolted after it.

"It worked!" Chris said, reaching for another rock.

"Just a sec, maybe you should try something bigger. If you aim it just right, you might be able to take out the last three all at the same time."

Both Chris and Martin thought for a moment, then suddenly came to the same conclusion.

"The golf ball!" they blurted in unison.

"Quick, where did you put it?"

Martin got down on his hands and knees, searching. "It's around here somewhere…got it!" He held it up and Chris snatched it out of his hand, loading it into the slingshot and taking aim once more.

With a snap, Chris sent the golf ball rocketing straight toward the pose beam emitters.

*CRUNCH!*

The ball hit the first one, sending it crashing into the other two behind it like a row of floating dominoes. Then all three of them dropped to the ground.

"YES!" Chris pumped the air with a fist.

"Woohoo!" Martin gave his brother a slap on the back.

The now unfrozen deer kicked up their heels and ran into the woods as fast as they could, each in a different direction. Dabio came staggering back into the scene, gasping after failing at finding the first deer, only to see that his three buddies had flown the coop as well.

"Aww!" he moaned and trotted after them. "Come back! Donita needs you for Christmas!"

"Ha!" Chris laughed. "That oughtta keep him busy for a while! Ok, so that's four deer rescued with one more to go."

"Yes," Martin was rubbing his hands together again, "stage one of Operation: Raid the Pink Jet and Rescue Some Creatures was a complete success. Now it's time for stage two, which is the actual raiding part. I'm going in! Cover me!" Before Chris could stop him, he jumped out of the bushes and tucked into a roll, coming up again six feet away with his back to a tree. After a moment or two, he tip-toed from the tree and made a headfirst dive into another clump of bushes.

"Ow." Chris heard him mutter before he popped up a few seconds later, rubbing his head.

"Not this again," Chris sighed and followed, not even bothering to try some of the moves his feverish brother was employing.


	14. Tying Up Loose Ends

**Chapter 13**

**Tying Up Loose Ends**

Donita mumbled angrily to herself through a mouthful of pins as she stuck another bow to the antlers of the frozen deer in front of her. The poor thing was almost entirely covered in layer after layer of blinking lights, shiny bows, bells, Christmas ornaments and tinsel. She finished attaching the bow and turned back to the large concept drawing sitting on an easel a few feet away.

Zach sat sulking in a corner by his mind control device, his robots hovering close by, waiting for his next command.

"Errgh! How much longer do I have to sit here and watch you decorate that varmint? You can probably see it from space by now!"

Donita threw him a venomous glare. "As long as it takes for you to think about how you messed up and let Chris get away."

"That wasn't my fault! My technology was a complete success. If it wasn't for Blue-boy, you'd be set with all the reindeer you could ever want _and_ a permanent new assistant for the rest of your life, thanks to me."

Donita jabbed a pin accusingly in his direction. "But you didn't think to Martin-proof your device, did you? And now I only have _five_ reindeer and _no_ Chris to get the rest! And there's something off about these reindeer he brought back." She put a hand on her chin, thinking. "They just don't quite look like the reindeer I was hoping for…hmm. Anyway, first thing tomorrow, you're going to send out those robots of yours to find me three more."

"What? That wasn't part of the deal!" Zach folded his arms and stuck his nose in the air. "Nothing doing."

"I _must_ have eight reindeer for my show!"

"Then find them yourself! I've got more important things to do than sit around and watch you decorate useless animals."

"Oh? Like what, exactly."

Zach blinked. "Well, let's see, there's…that is…uh…just stuff! I've got stuff to do. See ya!" He started throwing the sheet back over his contraption.

"ACHOO!"

Both Zach and Donita froze.

"Bless you," said Donita.

"Gesundheit," Zach said at the same time.

"Wait a second. If _you _didn't sneeze and _I_ didn't sneeze, who did?"

Donita shivered as a cool breeze blew into the room from behind. She turned around slowly, eyes narrowed. The door all the way across the other side of the room to was slightly open. Something was wrong with this picture.

"Donita," Zach scooted closer to her, "is this place haunted? Not that I'm scared or anything like that…"

The room fell silent as the two of them stared into the dark stretch of the jet's interior in front of them. The only source of intermittent light in this side came from the blinking Christmas decorations wrapped around the deer. Donita made a move for a light switch on the wall closest to her.

"NOW!" somebody shouted.

All at once two figures jumped up from behind Donita's desk.

"AAAEEEIIII!" Zach squealed, jumping up in to Donita's arms. "Crazy savage mountain men from the woods! HELP!"

Even with Zach clinging on for dear life, Donita still managed to find the switch. The dark half of the jet was suddenly filled with light, revealing the two intruders.

"Hey!" said Zach. "Those aren't crazy savage mountain men."

Donita pried the skinny villain from around her neck and dropped him on the floor.

"No, they're most definitely not. Well, well. Chris-Angelo and Martino. I was wondering when you two would turn up again."

Martin nudged Chris in the side. "See? I told you the face paint would work."

"Is that what's all over your faces?" Donita wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh. It clashes terribly with your features. And those bandanas…" She shook her head.

Now it was Chris's turn to nudge Martin. "See? I told you Donita wouldn't buy it."

"Whatever," said Martin. "We still look awesome."

Chris stepped in front of him. "Um, don't mind him. He's running a fever at the moment. Listen, we need to talk about your little creature-heist."

Donita's lips curled into a nasty grin. "Ah-ha-ha! Don't you mean _your_ little 'creature-heist'? After all, you _are_ the one who stole the animals."

Chris thought for a second. "Well, technically speaking, yes—"

Zach stepped up to him and poked him in the chest. "_Technically_ speaking, you can't take any of the credit, Green-Guy. _Technically _speaking, I did all the work! Me, me, me!"

Chris held up his hands. "Hey, you can take all the credit you want. Doesn't bother me."

Donita stepped in, grabbing Zach by the front of his sweater. "Are you also going to take credit for ruining my entire fashion show?!"

"No!" Zach snapped, slapping her hands away from his shirt. "You want to know why? Because now we've got _both_ Wild Rats here with us. Gimme a few minutes and I can have both brothers' brains right where you want them."

"Uh…I don't think that'll work out very well," said Chris, folding his arms.

"Why not?"

"Because you're about to get really distracted."

Behind him, Martin had been hard at work unwrapping the deer and shutting off the pose beam emitter while the two villains argued. Just as they lunged forward, the pink beam flickered out and the deer came back to life.

"GO!" Martin hollered as the buck hightailed it in the direction of the door. "Don't look back, buddy, RUN!"

"No! No, my beautiful Christmas reindeer!" Donita nearly plowed the brothers over in an attempt to chase after the animal, but got tangled up in a strand of lights and went toppling to the ground. "ZACH!" she shrieked, trying to wriggle out of the mess. "DO SOMETHING!"

"Zachbots! Let'em have it!"

One of the robots turned automatically and lifted the mind control device's control panel, chucking it across the room.

"HULPHH!" Chris huffed as he caught it hard in the stomach. Then he grinned. "Thanks, Zach! I think we'll take this back to the Tortuga with us and let Aviva use it for spare parts."

Zach grabbed his hair. "AAAAGH! No! I meant 'let'em have it' as in 'attack them'!"

Chris turned, about to make a run for the door, but Donita caught him around the ankle, tripping him up.

"Whoa! Martin, go long!" Before he hit the ground, he lobbed the heavy equipment at Martin, who happened to be closest to the exit.

"Got it!" he yelled.

"GAAA!" Zach shrieked again. "Zachbots! Get my device back, and step on it!"

Two Zachbots zoomed over to where Martin was standing, about to throw the thing out the door.

"Uh-oh…"

Before he had time to prepare, one of the robots snatched the device and yanked it out of his hands. Then it threw it on the floor and began jumping on it.

"AAAGH!" Zach dropped to the floor, shaking his fists. "No, no, no! When I said 'step on it', I meant 'HURRY'!"

Martin hauled his brother to his feet, then shrugged. "Guess that takes care of _that_ problem."

"Rrrgh!" Zach jumped up, heading straight for them and tripped over Donita on the way.

"Ow!" she squawked. "Watch it!"

Zach tried to get up, but found himself tangled in the strands of lights and tinsel along with her. The more the two of them struggled and fought each other to get out, the more snarled the mess became. Soon they were so wrapped up in out-of-season holiday décor that they looked like a pair of Christmas trees.

"Huh!" Martin nudged Chris in the side again. "Would ya look at that? I guess a little Christmas in August never hurt anybody."

"Yeah," Chris agreed with a smile, "but we should probably get going. I think I'll call Aviva and tell her to start putting together successful creature rescue party." He waved at Donita and Zach and headed out the door.

"Hey, not a bad idea, bro! We'd invite you two, but you look a little tied-up at the moment. Ha! See ya!"

Zach stuck an arm out, brandishing a fist after Martin as he made his exit. "I'll get you, Wild Rats! I'll get you!"


	15. Photographic Evidence

***A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for sticking with me and thanks especially for all the wonderful reviews! They really took me by surprise and made my day each time I opened my email! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the story because I had an absolute blast writing it. It was also a lot of fun getting to know some of you through PM's. **

**Anyway, I'm not sure I'll ever write another WK story, but if one happens to slap me in the face like this one did, I'll definitely jot it down and post it. In the meantime, feel free to drop by "Brainstorm" (my writing blog) or shoot me a PM any time.**

**Aaaand…shutting up. ;) **

**Chapter 14**

**Photographic Evidence**

"So, Chris," Aviva said, "where should we go for our next creature adventure?"

He thought for a moment. "Y'know, maybe we should wait until Martin's feeling better to decide."

"Good idea," agreed Aviva. "Poor guy. He looked terrible after you two got back from rescuing the deer and all the adrenaline had finally worn off. Talk about total crash."

"Yeah," Koki chimed in from across the room, "I don't even think I've seen him since then."

Jimmy gasped, nearly dropping his pizza slice. "Do you think he's still _alive_?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "He's alive, trust me. He showed up down here yesterday looking for another box of Kleenex. He's gone through about ten."

"Oh, so _that's _what he was looking for!" Aviva exclaimed.

"Yeah. What'd you think?"

"I thought he kept saying something about donuts and a jellyfish."

The others stared for a moment.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past Martin," snorted Koki.

"Hey, it was hard to tell what he was saying through all the layers of blankets and the sneezing."

At that moment, the side doors slid open.

"Did somebody say 'donuts'?"

Jimmy jumped up, throwing his pizza out of sheer happiness. "Martin! You're…you're _aliiiive_!"

Martin, no longer wrapped up to his ears in blankets and minus the tissue box, walked into the room. He looked a pale, but much better than he had even just the night before.

"Of course I'm alive, Jimmy—OOMF!" he huffed as Aviva dashed up and threw her arms around him. "Ow! Careful!"

"Sorry." She backed up, pulling out her creature pod to take a scan. "Let's just check to make sure you're not going to get us all sick. Hmm…no more fever." She picked up a penlight. "Say 'ahh'."

"Ahhh…" Martin opened his mouth and Aviva aimed the tiny beam of light inside.

"No more red streaks down your throat." She flicked off the light.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Martin pointed at his nose. "And I'm not sneezing!"

"And that's the way we like it," Aviva said with a smile. "Looks like you're all clear. I'm just glad you're feeling better. Chris doesn't know what to do with himself when you're not around."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Chris was leaning back against the main computer console, smiling mischievously and tossing a shiny blue object up and down to himself.

"Hey!" Martin said, crossing the room. "Isn't that my creature pod?" He made a grab for it, but his brother yanked it out of reach. "C'mon, Chris, what're you doing?"

Just then, an image of Martin sporting black stripes on his face with a blue bandana around his head and striking a ninja pose popped up on the giant screen.

"Oh! Oops!" Chris put on an air of mock surprise. "Must've pushed the wrong button somehow."

After a few seconds of shocked silence, both Aviva and Koki burst out laughing at exactly the same time.

"Martin!" Koki gasped as she pointed at the screen. "What were you _doing_?"

"Whatever this was," said Jimmy, trying his best to mimic the ninja move, "it looks awesome."

"That's…that's not me!" Martin spluttered.

"Then who is it?" asked Aviva. "Can you go find him so I can have his autograph?"

Chris straightened up, grinning. "Ladies and gents, _this_ is our one and only Martin Kratt two nights ago right before we saved the deer from Donita."

"What?! I don't remember putting all that stuff on my face! I don't even remember pulling that move…" Martin put a hand on his chin. "Kinda wish I did, though."

"You don't remember because you were delirious." Chris gave his flabbergasted brother a nudge in the side, then folded his arms looking smug. "Told you I'd getcha back for jumping on me. Now we're even."

"How come you didn't look like that when you came back, Martin?" asked Jimmy.

"Because I made sure we washed our faces before we—" Chris gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth. "Uh, that is, I made sure _Martin_ washed it all off—"

"Wait a second!" Martin snatched his creature pod before Chris could do anything about it and held it high over his head. "You said '_our_ faces'!"

"Hey! Give that back!" Chris attempted to jump and reach it, but Martin's natural extra height stopped that plan in its tracks.

"AH-HA!" Martin shouted triumphantly before pushing a button. The image on the screen was instantly replaced with one of both brothers in a back-to-back secret agent type pose. In this picture, Chris's face was covered in black stripes as well and he was wearing an identical bandana, only in green.

Koki, Aviva, and Jimmy all stared at him, trying to hold straight faces as Martin smirked.

"Ok, ok," Chris rolled his eyes, breaking into a grin, "so I had to get a shot of both of us just for kicks. But for the record, the face paint and stuff was all Martin's idea."

Martin shrugged. "I guess I can take the credit."

"Can I _please_ get a framed copy of this?" Koki begged between spurts of laughter.

Chris and Martin exchanged amused looks.

"Sure, why not?"

**The End**


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